Castle Carr Road - 27th March

Just a single Fox Moth caterpillar crossing the road from the heath-land area across to the fields this afternoon . Narrowly missed by traffic, including  a tractor. They are always an exciting find but like Hedgehogs they live precariously when on the move.

Lee Mount -24th March

Some lovely spells of sunshine so I spent a lot of time in the garden, mostly sitting and watching the sky in the hope of an Osprey passing through ! No luck there but also watching for butterfly's, none whatsoever but mid afternoon an Orange Underwing came through the garden, right past me, then up through the trees in the park. Some really good birch woodland down there so if conditions are right this next week I'll be taking a look down there.

Stainland. 20th March 2023

 Hello

A brief account of the last few months.

At the end of August 2022, I became unwell. Over the next few weeks, I became worse and was very ill until mid January. Just as I was recovering, I started to feel quite ill again. I'd contracted a viral infection. After about 6 days, the effort of walking upstairs left me short of breath. I was incredibly weak and aching all over. I had to lay on the bed until I felt better. I began to improve about ten days ago. I need to build my stamina up, Other than that, I'm finally alright again. I have to say, I've felt better in my life and it messed Christmas up. Still, it takes a lot to keep me down.

Spring is here, wonderful! Yesterday, I woke to find two Angle Shades caterpillars by the door, it was a great discovery and bucked me up no end. They are only about 1 inch long, I assume they must be quite new.

Angle Shades.

Angle Shades.

Hello Edward. I wondered what had happened to you last year. (Not prying) I assumes it was you who left a comment in my October Graphics post. I did leave a reply. I'm working (slowly, see a above) on a new post. It should be online in a week or so. Keep dropping in.

Lee Mount - 20th March

Got the light on last night for a couple of hours till the drizzle set in

Common Quaker x 1 (first of the year here)

March Moth x 4 (included one in a spiders web that was a 'gonna')

Agonopterix heracliana x 1

Pale Brindle Beauty - this one too, probably a few days old in a different spiders web. Body gone but the wings were intact.

Heavy drizzle tonight now, so trap shut down. It's a lot cooler than last night as well.

17th MArch 2013

 Had my first Orange Underwing at Cromwell Bottom today , 20 Fox Moth , 1 Ruby Tiger and 1 Oak Eggar caterpillars at Walshaw Dean and an Early Grey drowned in a puddle....

Last night in the trap...

Hebrew Character x 1 

Clouded Drab x  1 

Oak Beauty x 1 

Oak Nycetoline x 1

Chestnut x 1

March Moth x 3

Red green Carpet x 1

Common Quaker x 5

Brindled Pug x 1

Agonopterix Arnella x 1

SHibden Head

 9  Heralds in Bare Head tunnel today.............

Luddenden 21st February

My best night ever in February variety wise last night

Oak Beauty 4

Pale Brindled Beauty 3

Dotted Border 1

Mottled Grey 1

Chestnut 1

Satellite (orange spotted 1) 

March Moth 1

also my first Hebrew Character this year on the 19th

Lee Mount

 A second Dotted Border on 14th Feb 

A fourth Pale Brindled Beauty (monochraria) on 19th Feb and still here on 22nd

Tortricodes alternella x 1 on 21st along with a single March Moth

Tortricodes alternella

 LUDDENDEN - February so far

It's been pretty good in Luddenden so far this February starting with the first Moth on the 3rd

3rd.  Pale Brindled Beauty 1 (f monochraria)

10th  Pale Bridled Beauty 2

11th Pale Brindled Beauty 2  (1 f monochraria)

        Spring Usher

        Dotted Border

        Chestnut

Spring Usher

12th Pale Brindled Beauty 3 (1 f monochraria)

14th Pale Brindled Beauty 2

15th Pale Brindled Beauty 4

16th Pale Brindled Beauty 10 (1 f monochraria)

        Spring Usher

        Dotted Border

        March Moth

17th Pale Brindled Beauty 7 (3 f monochraria)

        Spring Usher 

Usually most of my Pale Brindled Beauties are f monochraria but there has been very few this year despite having more already than my total numbers for the last 12 years.

Pale Brindled Beauty

Pale Brindled Beauty f monochraria

Lee Mount - 12th Feb

 All three Pale Brindled Beauty still there tonight with one new one on the window

Dotted Border (underside and upper)

Lee Mount 10th and 11th February 2023

Some moths, at last. Well,it's a start !

Pale Brindled Beauty x 3 tonight including the form monacharia

Also Agonopterix heracliana (I suspect, rather than ciliella) x 1

Castle Carr Road

Fox Moth caterpillar, just short of  c 3" long, creeping along a track just off Castle Carr Road in the sunshine this afternoon. Moved it off the track into the adjacent field edge to save it getting run over or trodden on. 

Still nothing at all turning up in or around the trap in Lee Mount - despite it being on most nights. 

Rishworth - 3rd February - First moths of 2023

 Hello all, It's been quite a while, but I'm back and hopefully actually back unlike last year.

The trap ran from 17.00 to 22.20 tonight and I've managed the first moths of the year for here :)

Moth Trap 3rd February 2023 - 17.00 to 22.20

- Pale Brindled Beauty x2 [NFY]

    - Normal form x1

    - f.monocharia x1

- Agonopterix heracliana x1 [NFY]

Pale Brindled Beauty f.monocharia, Rishworth, 03.02.2023

Pale Brindled Beauty, Rishworth, 03.02.2023

Free online webinar

 Just seen this free event for Thursday....

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wingtip-decoys-and-stealth-cloaks-by-marc-holderied-brad-ashby-lecture-tickets-472200272727

It might be of interest to some.

New Macro Moth Species for Calderdale in the last 3 years

Chocolate Tip ,

Scorched Wing 

Black Arches

Cloaked Pug

Silver Hook

Lesser Common Rustic (gen det)

December Moth

Box Tree Moth

Vines Rustic

Scarce Footman

Heath Rivulet

Obscure Wainscot

Scarlet Tiger

Small Mottled Willow (i thought this was a new record but have found 2 old records for this migrant)

Lee Mount

 Nothing doing yet here at all this New Year - we live in hope !

Three micros from last year (with help from CS and CF)

Bucculatrix ulmella (14th Aug 22)

Caloptilia rufipennella (20th Aug 22)

Ypsolopha sylvella (21st Sept 22)

2022 AND INTO 2023

  2022 was again an excellent year with record temps and again more new species for Calderdale. Obscure Wainscot , Scarce Footman , Scarlet Tiger ( no one had that on there list of maybe's) , Heath Rivulet  and Vines Rustic.   Small Mottled Willow , Red Necked Footman , Box Moth and many more. HNY and here's to 2023....who knows what will turn up next..??????

Lee Mount !

Nothing doing at all here in December other than indoors a single Twenty-plume Moth on 4th. With the weather as it is, it's not looking hopeful for any moths just yet though I keep hoping for December Moth (don't think they like our area !)

Lee Mount - 27th and 28th October

Very mild last night but plenty of rain. This was a new one for here , well first time I've recognized this micro though it has quite a distinct shape.

Exapate congelatella (10mm)

The weather still produced just a few moths for this morning.

Tachystola acroxantha x 1

November Moth agg x 2

Feathered Thorn x 1

Brick x 1

Sallow sp ? x 1 (still to confirm)

2 shots of suspected Sallow sp. - looks quite faded at 15mm -any thoughts ?

Confirmed as Scarce Bordered Straw (thanks to AC CF and DIC)

Also later in the day singles of...

Mottled Umber and a Red-green Carpet

Lee Mount

 Last few days - not a lot..........though November Moth agg up to 3 most nights

Silver Y x 1 (18th) and a Feathered Thorn

Lesser Yellow Underwing (22nd) looked freshly emerged ! 

24th Oct

Shuttle-shaped Dart x 1 - seemed quite late for this sp.

Tachystola acroxantha x 2

Light-brown Apple-moth x 2

26th October

Mottled Umber x 1

Common Marbled Carpet x 1